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I was diagnosed with RRMS in 9/02...have been on Betaseron (stopped working) then Copaxone and now Rebif....after 3 months of Rebif now I apparently have some sort of arthritis (still getting workup to see what) My rheumatologist says that the interferons can induce autoimmune processes...he didn't say that I shouldn't take them....guess it's just one of the risks.....just didn't really realize it. I had a history of a type of arthritis that was probably similar to Rheumatoid just not as severe and the blood tests were never positive. I'm afraid that by taking the interferons and copaxone I have coaxed that monster out of hiding. I'm beginning to wonder with my propensity for autoimmune dz that maybe I should consider switching to a different line of treatment...namely the antibiotic route....anybody else have similar problem?

Wendy

To make things more complicated...he says that the Steroid treatments that I have taken intermittently may have also been treating my arthritis and who knows how long I have had it....don't know how much of the aches/pains/fatigue have been from the MS and what has been the other. May take a while to figure this all out.

Wendy

I didnt pick up a new auto-immune condition, but I reacted very badly to rebif, so much so that to me, it appeared to actually make my MS systems much worse.

Cure or Bust, What kind of reaction did you have to Rebif?

Wendy

Hi WB, Speaking of the antibiotic route, you will notice on CPn Help.org that many of the so called "autoimmune" illnesses have been linked with Chlamydia pneumoniae including RA. You will also find information on http://www.roadback.org that links RA and other rheumatic illnesses to Mycoplasma pneumoniae and supports that community on antibiotic treatment. The Vanderbilt and Wheldon combined antibiotic protocols also address Mpn in addition to Cpn, and do a much more thorough job of it in my opinion. Best wishes,

Cypriane~caregiver and advocate for husband with SPMS (and getting better)

wbowen wrote:Cure or Bust, What kind of reaction did you have to Rebif?

You can find my description at the time, on the thread http://www.thisisms.com/ftopict-1343.html. I also had my worst relapse while on it. And I remember, I was trying to understate the effects. Before I even finished the injection, I could feel the effects.

Just food for thought---Chronic Lyme Disease affects 3 major body systems: nervous system, muscles and joints. A typical symptom of LD is severe joint pain, arthritis often suspected. In addition to the LD bacteria, two other co-infections have been found. THERE IS NO DEFINITIVE TEST FOR CHRONIC LYME DISEASE! (Read diagnositc criteria found at FDA website.)

The antibiotic route would certainly be worth a try. There are also many LDers who use the natural treatment recommended by a Chinese doctor with success equal to antibiotics.

I wish you the best of luck in your decision-making!

An old piece of research.

Common Factor Behind Myocardial Infarction, Rheumatism And MS
http://www.virtualneurocentre.com/news.asp?artid=6437